Microsoft was this month's engine in the train of exuberance. "Sports fans have spoken: Xbox 360 owns sports," the console manufacturer beamed, citing best per-platform sales of Madden NFL 09, NCAA Football 09 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. "We're on track for a record-breaking holiday," it promised.

Nintendo took a more subdued tone to express its confidence in the ongoing success of the Wii and the company's first-party games for the system: "New titles like Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii have joined top 10 veterans like Wii Fit, demonstrating the wide and long-lasting appeal of Nintendo games," said Nintendo sales and marketing VP Cammie Dunaway in a press release. Three of Nintendo's first-party games were in the top ten once more.

The House of Mario also reminded Microsoft of its place, as the Wii spent the month "extending its lead as the best-selling video game console of this generation."